by Andrew-Mark Thompson

Telos, out now

A collection of unreal things, based on not just Doctor Who but plenty of other series…

The TL:DR version of this review is quite simple: buy it now. Don’t wait to get to the bottom of the page, but click on the link above (and no, I’m not on a percentage!) There are a lot of books coming out for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, but I will be a little bit surprised if there’s one quite so unusual, or able to make you laugh as hard as this.

I’m reminded of my reaction to the Completely Useless Encyclopaedia when it came out in the late 1990s, which appealed to me in much the same way – this book is never malicious, but pokes fun at all aspects of Doctor Who, from the series to its fans, to its merchandise spin-offs (and some of the malarkey that has surrounded those over the years), to its stars, all using formats that are hauntingly familiar. But it’s not just Doctor Who that’s the focus of attention – everything from I Claudius to Crossroads to Quatermass to Shaft (!) comes under Andrew-Mark Thompson’s spotlight – and watch out for some running gags, particularly in the small print.

Eric Morecambe wrote an introduction to one of the collections of Giles cartoons, noting that each cartoon was like a five-minute sketch on TV: there’s so much going on in the background that would be easy to miss if you didn’t look carefully. That applies here – the care and attention that has been lavished on this is an object lesson in how to present material, and kudos to all at Telos for the attention to detail in the production process.

So if you missed issues of the Quatermass Adventures, or haven’t got the Rose’s mum edition of Jackie magazine (or need more detail on those frustratingly elusive VHS releases), you need a copy. Now.

Verdict: I raised my eyes upwards, rejoicing that such insanities could ever reach print. An unqualified 10/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Telos Publishing. You know you want to.